Sports
Hockey

CASE CLOSED

Steve Moore confirms he has accepted settlement

QMI AGENCY

Thursday, September 4, 2014
4:49:04 EDT PM

Steve Moore is surrounded by reporters after leaving NHL headquarters in New York, April 26, 2005. Moore was at a hearing for Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi, whose blindside punch to Moore's head in 2004 permanently knocked the Colorado Avalanche player out of hockey. (REUTERS)

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“The legal case for the loss of my NHL career is over,” former NHLer Steve Moore announced on Thursday.

Ten years after being attacked by Todd Bertuzzi during a regular-season NHL game, a settlement has been reached between Moore, Bertuzzi, and Bertuzzi’s team, the Vancouver Canucks.

The settlement’s terms are confidential but Moore had been seeking $68 million in damages.

Then a rookie forward for the Colorado Avalanche, Moore has not played an NHL game since the infamous March 2004 incident which saw Bertuzzi punch him from behind. ​

READ MOORE'S NOTE:

The legal case for the loss of my NHL career is over. I have accepted a settlement agreement which has now been finalized and signed by all the parties.

This day comes with mixed emotions. I am extremely thankful for the compassion and encouragement of so many people over the past decade. These years have been very difficult for me and my family. The injuries I sustained in my rookie year, the years I spent trying to return to my NHL career, and dealing with the loss of my career and the ensuing legal case, have been long and trying experiences. While nothing replaces the loss of one's dream, I am happy my family will no longer be burdened by an unresolved legal case, and I am grateful to be able to move forward.

I thank the fans and the public who have supported me so passionately and tirelessly, not just across Canada, and the U.S., but around the world – your support has meant more than you can imagine. I thank the people who supported me in this legal case; your courage, and integrity are an inspiration. I thank former Chief Justice of Ontario Warren Winkler for helping with this settlement. Finally, I thank my friends, and especially my family, for your unwavering love and devotion which kept me going over these last ten years.

I look forward to continuing to bring more attention and resources to the prevention and treatment of concussions and other head and neck injuries in sport, through The Steve Moore Foundation (www.stevemoorefoundation.org).

While my own hockey career was cut short, my love for the game has never diminished.